The present invention relates to condensation units for condensing fluids and containers for storing liquid substances, for use in the petroleum, industrial, agricultural and petrochemical industries.
Many industrial and commercial processes create vapourized liquids, particularly hot vapours, which must be condensed into a cooler liquid form for storage and eventual disposal or treatment. In the petroleum industry, for instance, a glycol/water vapour mixture is created at gas wellsites which can not be released into the atmosphere to avoid pollution of the environment. One accepted method of dealing with the glycol/water vapour is to run the hot vapour through a series of underground pipes to cool and condense the vapour into liquid form, and then to pass the liquid into an underground storage tank. Another accepted method is to run the vapour through aboveground piping having cooling fins, and then passing the condensed liquid into an underground storage facility to avoid freezing of the liquid. These underground storage tanks suffer from several deficiencies, as set out in U.S. Pat. No. 5,971,009. Likewise, the piping creates its own problems. Large lengths of required piping takes up valuable space at wellsites, is difficult and costly to install and maintain, and is prone to leakage. Some leaks might not be detected, thereby contaminating the surrounding soil.
What is desired therefore is a novel assembly for condensing vapours and storing the resulting condensed liquid which overcomes the limitations and problems of the prior art arrangements. Preferably, the entire assembly should be aboveground for ease of installation and maintenance. It should provide in one compact unit the ability to condense a vapour and to store the resulting liquid. The liquid should be stored in a dual containment assembly to avoid leakage of the liquid to the surroundings. The dual containment assembly may be provided with an integral heating system to prevent freezing of the stored liquid.
Hence, in one aspect the invention provides an apparatus for urging condensation of a vapour comprising:
a generally cylindrical inner wall portion defining an inner chamber;
an outer wall portion extending circumferentially about said inner wall portion forming a series of interconnected cooling chambers to define a meandering cooling path for said vapour to promote condensation of said vapour into a liquid; and,
said cooling path having an inlet end for introducing said vapour thereinto, and having an opposed outlet end for escape of said liquid to a storage means and of any uncondensed vapour to said inner chamber.
In another aspect the invention provides an assembly for vapour condensation and liquid storage comprising:
(a) an aboveground containment tank for receiving and storing said liquid;
(b) a condensation assembly for location atop said tank comprising:
(i) an inner wall defining an inner chamber;
(ii) an outer wall extending circumferentially about said inner wall to form a plurality of interconnected cooling chambers defining a meandering cooling path for said vapour along said outer wall to promote condensation of said vapour into said liquid; and,
(iii) said cooling path having an inlet end for introducing said vapour thereinto, and having an opposed outlet end for escape of said liquid to said tank and of any uncondensed vapour to said inner chamber.
In another aspect the invention provides a method of urging condensation of a vapour into a liquid comprising passing said vapour through the above-noted apparatus.
In yet another aspect the invention provides a method of vapour condensation and liquid storage comprising introducing said vapour into an inlet end of the above-noted assembly.